Wandering Spirit Tavern - Chapter 2 - To Pay Last Respects

On the day the typhoon hit, Feng Bei encountered his most troublesome clients in half a year-a couple, both elementary school teachers, who had just bought a house after getting married. They sought Feng Bei’s expertise in Feng Shui for their 40-square-meter one-bedroom apartment, with a north-facing living room and a rather unreasonable layout. The couple had numerous disagreements over the renovation details.

While Feng Bei adjusted the Feng Shui, he also had to mediate their disputes, fearing that halfway through the job, the couple might decide to divorce.

After two hours of resolving the Feng Shui and renovation issues, the quarrelsome couple suddenly turned their attention to haggling over the price with Feng Bei.

The couple worked in perfect harmony, complementing each other’s arguments.

“Our place is so small, and your price is indeed a bit high.”

“Exactly, we just got married and still need to renovate. Have some sympathy for us ordinary folks.”

…

It was then that Feng Bei realized these two were a match made in heaven, destined never to part.

“Don’t say that. We’re all ordinary folks here. Please understand, the price was agreed upon… Your place is indeed small, which makes it harder to adjust the Feng Shui… How about this, I’ll throw in an amulet personally drawn by my master…”

In the midst of the argument, Feng Bei’s phone rang. It was his junior brother calling.

Eager to escape the haggling, Feng Bei answered the call and was met with the news of his master’s passing.

First came the shock-he hadn’t expected the old man to pass away now. Feng Bei remembered his master as an elderly man even when he was a child.

Feng Bei had left his hometown ten years ago, feeling as though he had aged himself, yet the old man had lived on for so long.

Of course, what surprised him more was being notified of the death, and from what his junior brother said, it seemed the master had specifically instructed that Feng Bei be informed.

In Feng Bei’s memory, his master had always disliked him, claiming he had a crooked mind and would become a menace. Yet, the master had still taught Feng Bei diligently, perhaps because Feng Bei was talented, while the other fellow disciples were too slow.

In the end, the “crooked-minded” Feng Bei inherited the master’s true teachings and, as the master predicted, became a menace. Instead of using his Taoist skills to protect the local villagers, he left his hometown, ventured into big cities, and made a living through fortune telling and Feng Shui-what he considered deceptive practices.

In the ten years since leaving, Feng Bei assumed his master wouldn’t want to hear about his messy life, so he rarely contacted him. He never imagined the master would still think of him, even ensuring he was called back to keep vigil at the funeral.

Reflecting on past events, Feng Bei felt a twinge of sadness and lost the will to haggle with the couple, accepting the price they offered.

But as he left, a sense of defiance rose within him, partly because he disliked the couple and partly because he remembered his master’s words, “This child has a crooked mind.”

Fine, I’ll show you my crooked mind.

As he exited, Feng Bei glanced back at the small shoe cabinet facing the front door.

“Replacing that vase with a small copper ornament would be better for your fortune.”

He knew the couple no longer trusted him and wouldn’t make the change, but in the future, whenever they encountered misfortune, they’d remember his words. Those words would haunt them until they spent more money to hire another Feng Shui expert, at which point they wouldn’t dare haggle.

On the way back, the rain poured heavily. Feng Bei didn’t call for a ride, instead seeking shelter under eaves, moving when he could, and stopping to watch the rain when he couldn’t.

The fine, dense rain enveloped the entire city, turning roads, streets, and glass-walled buildings into shades of gray-blue.

In Feng Bei’s memory, funerals in his hometown were also gray-blue.

A small southern county town, with old streets yet to be redeveloped, tiled-roof houses flanking narrow roads, and people in mourning clothes forming a long procession. At the front were several men carrying a coffin, with Feng Bei and his master leading the way, stopping, crying, and kneeling at intervals, as the master chanted long, drawn-out commands.

Feng Bei had accompanied his master to many funerals. During these events, he noticed the master often spoke to the air late at night, later realizing the master was conversing with the dead.

When Feng Bei shared this with his fellow disciples, they were terrified. Feng Bei wasn’t afraid and even asked the master when he would teach them this skill.

The master asked, “What would you do once you learn it?”

Feng Bei thought for a while and said, “Once I learn it, I can find out many things others don’t know.”

The master continued, “What would you do with all that knowledge?”

Feng Bei didn’t know what he would do; he simply wanted to understand the world a little better. But he didn’t know how to convey this thirst for knowledge to his master.

Just then, the bereaved family came to pay the master.

Seeing this, Feng Bei said, “Knowing more means earning more money.”

The master then remarked that Feng Bei had a “crooked mind.”

And so, Feng Bei carried this crooked mind for many years. When he left the master, claiming he was going to the big city to make money, the master said, “See, I wasn’t wrong. This person has a crooked mind.”

Now the master was dead, yet he called back this crooked-minded disciple. Feng Bei couldn’t understand why and hesitated about returning-should he go back to prove to his fellow disciples that the master was right, that he had indeed become a complete fraud?

While hesitating, Feng Bei saw a few more clients, earning enough for half a year’s rent. He tried to pretend to forget about the master, hoping to inadvertently miss this important funeral amidst his busy work.

But in those few days, nothing went smoothly for him. At night, he dreamt of childhood events, and during the day, he was forgetful, saying he’d plant peach trees in the yard, then turning around and saying he’d grow flowers, leaving the client bewildered.

Finally, on the seventh day after the master’s death, Feng Bei decided to return. The funeral was long over, but he didn’t care for the elaborate rituals anyway, which was one reason he left his hometown.

Having made the decision to return, he felt a sense of relief and had a good night’s sleep. In the morning, half-awake, Feng Bei suddenly felt the master’s presence by his bedside.

“Finally decided to see me?”

“Master!” Feng Bei was shocked. Having left his hometown for many years, he’d had many dreams about it, but none featuring the master. He always thought it was because the master disliked him and had cast a spell to prevent him from dreaming of him.

“Come back quickly. The master needs your help. Remember, I left something for you in the back hall. Make sure to get it!”

Feng Bei awoke with a start, realizing he was late and about to miss the train. In a rush, he hurried to the station, arriving just in time at the train door, only to find a girl blocking the way.

“Excuse me, please.”

Feng Bei softly called out, and the girl turned around. Seeing her face, Feng Bei was startled-this girl was shrouded in yin qi¹, as if she had been dead for a long time.

The girl seemed equally startled by Feng Bei and pushed past him, getting off the train.

Footnote:

1. Yin Qi(阴气):In Chinese supernatural beliefs, yin qi refers to a cold, dark energy associated with death, spirits, and ghostly phenomena. It is often contrasted with yang qi, which represents warmth, vitality, and life.